


Hiccup and the Four Witches

by AllianceXCross



Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Gay Male Character, M/M, Male Friendship, Multi, Other, POV Male Character, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Male/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23237992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllianceXCross/pseuds/AllianceXCross
Summary: Hiccup is in for a surprise when he finds out he has the ability to copy any magical power from other witches or warlocks after kissing them. This power, however, stems from a much darker source. Hiccup will have to learn exactly how to use his magik, with the help of his friends, to uncover a dangerous entity that is intent on destroying the witches Hiccup is trying to protect. AU. Disney/non-disney.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Jack Frost/Pitch Black (Guardians of Childhood)
Kudos: 4





	1. The Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> A/C - Hello! I was inspired by Yamada and the Seven Witches to write this sort of spin off story. I contemplated actually using seven main characters but quickly decided against it when I realized that was going to be a massive story. This is a fun little project for me, kind of a break between my more serious works. It'll be fun. 
> 
> There are ships in this story, so you'll have to just trust me on this! Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. Loved a chapter? Tell me about it! Hated a chapter? let me that too! All comments are better than no comments (unless they are rude, I will delete).

I was waiting for the final bell for class to end so I could leave school and just go home. It was typically my usual routine, and since it was a Friday it was even better. We were about half-way through the second semester of my first year of university, which meant just in time for Spring Break. Most of the students were already checked out. I realized quickly that University is not for everyone and it was even tougher for those who tend to procrastinate.

Berk was a small town but it brought a surprising number of students to Berk State University - where you'll see 'Welcome to the Dragons Den' painted in at least one hallway. It was known as a varsity university, with various sports and was highly accredited for the competitions they put on throughout the year.

This is not why I was at Berk University. I was here simply because my father, Stoic the Vast, was the Dean of the Physical Education and Development Department for Gifted Athletes. Which meant that I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, who was not an athlete, got free tuition. It was the only way to go to school these days, and get any type of degree.

As for just, exactly, what I was doing for this said degree… I wasn't sure yet. Law fascinated me, but felt like it would be tedious. I was good with my hands and building things came naturally, so maybe an engineer since I enjoyed math. For now, my first year was about basic classes and stepping into the world of University.

Which, turns out, was almost exactly like High School.

I was focusing on the equation Dr. Bunnymund when someone in the row behind me tapped my shoulder. I glanced back to see Ruffnut Thorston leaning towards me.

"Do you want to go to a party tonight?" She said with her eyes glazed over. "I'm pretty sure I heard Astrid was going to be there."

"No, Ruff I don't want to go to some party." I turned back around. It didn't even matter if Astrid was going, to which I could possibly get the chance to hang out with her. Parties and me just did not mix well.

Ruffnut was persistent today, I had to give her that. She tapped me again, a little harder than the first time. "Oh, come on! Why do you gotta be such a buzz kill, buzz kill."

"No, I'm not going to some stupid party just so you can -"

"Hiccup!"

I spun around when Dr. Bunnymund closed his book loudly. "Y-yes sir?"

"Can you explain to me how you make an Arrhenius plot?" Bunnymund said, he put his book down and moved to sit on top of his desk, leaning his large elbows onto his equally large thighs. "Since you're so knowledgeable and don't need to be listening during my lecture, you should know the answer."

I remembered learning about the Arrhenius equation, but… a plot of it? I tried to grasp for an answer. "L-log the Arrhenius equation?"

Several students snickered in response and Bunnymund sighed outwardly. "Do you enjoy being the class jester?"

Ruffnut decided to chime in at this moment, "I tried to tell him professor, dude, that he needed to shut up and listen."

Bunnymund, who was not a very patient man to begin with, looked like he was about to lose it. He glanced at the watch on his left wrist, "Well, I wanted to continue my lecture about the Arrhenius equation but since we've been interrupted, I want you all to write a two page essay on it instead."

This was followed by loud 'boos' and 'aws' to which Bunnymund ignored, making his voice louder. "You are to write about the history of the Arrhenius equation, the creator and the implications, followed by at least two examples. This should help for your upcoming final. Have a great weekend class."

Bunnymund packed his things while the class scurried to leave the room. Except for Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout who shouldered me near the door as I made my way out. "Way to go Haddock, now our whole weekend is ruined."

"Not my fault," I breezed past, trying to ignore them. As the hallway grew quieter, I still felt their presence. It was when I reached my locker that Snotlout grabbed my shoulder, pinning me to the locker face first. The sudden attack made me drop my book bag and any notebooks I was holding.

"What the hell -"

He leaned his weight in, making it nearly impossible to squirm out. My face was pressed harshly against the locker.

Snotlout said, "You listen here loser, you're going to write my essay for me."

"Or what?" I snarled, trying to put my shoulder into him to get out, but he weathered it.

His face was in my ear, and his breath was down my neck. "I'd hate to see your other leg be damaged, or perhaps broken, so I would just write the essay, Hic. No questions asked."

To emphasize this, he dug his knee into my prosthetic leg, the mechanics within it made a 'whirring' sound and it bent forward on me. I groaned at the sensation that was like a numb and dull ache within my bones.

"Yeah, you prosthetic freak!" Ruffnut said, egging Snotlout on. Snotlout, for good measure, pressed me into the locker harder one more time before letting go. It was even funnier for them because my prosthetic locked up, making my hit the ground hard on my knees from the unbalance in my legs.

The group laughed, as Snotlout muttered, "what a loser." The group, knowing I wouldn't do anything, turned their back on me and continued down the hall.

I waited for them to be truly gone before I put my fist into the lockers, a frustrated sound was forced out of me. I hated this school, and equally hated these people.

Turning, I sat on the ground with both of my legs out in front of me and checked my prosthetic, making sure they hadn't kinked it too badly. When it responded by kicking outward, I leaned forward and onto my knees again to pick up the books I had dropped.

I was so in my head I hadn't heard someone walk up the hall, let alone see someone in front of me until Astrid was leaning down just above me.

"Need some help?" She asked, bending down.

"N-No I'm good," I stammered, slowly raising myself off the ground. "I just fell."

"That must have been one violent fall," she commented, straightening up.

"It's nothing."

I turned to my locker again, hoping I wasn't too red in the face. It felt stupid to have Astrid, the most beautiful girl in our class, asking if I was okay. Besides that, I had known Astrid forever and it felt weird when she decided to look after me.

She waited, watching me as I shoved the books inside my locker. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry Tuffnut got you in trouble. I saw the whole thing."

"Why are you apologizing for her?" I closed my locker, leaning down to grab my backpack from the ground and sliding it over my shoulder.

"Well, I just feel bad."

"It's fine. Thanks. I have to go now, so I'll see you later." I turned to leave, not feeling all that up to talk about how Astrid had to clean up her friends messes, or how Astrid could be friends with those kind of people to begin with.

As I turned, I hadn't noticed the door near my end locker (to the men's washroom) was being opened.

"Hiccup, watch out!" Astrid yelled, and I did not have time to focus on the open door in front of me before I felt her fingers around my wrist, then yanked me backwards.

I stumbled, my prosthetic leg not reacting fast enough and I felt my entire weight fall onto Astrid. In an effort to make the impact hurt less, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and tried to turn us but our feet got tangled and instead it only brought our faces closer together when -

We hit the ground in a series of groans and yelps. I fell on top of Astrid, who tried to lift herself up at the same time I tried to look down at her to make sure she was okay.

It was a sloppy moment when our lips and noses hit each other awkwardly, but in a span of a second there was a strange feeling that swept through me

It was odd, but highly sensational. The feeling of a veil being blanketed across my skin and a shivering kind of sensation filled up my lungs, my head. It felt so good I had to close my eyes and savor it for a moment longer.

Then, when I opened my eyes… I was looking at myself.

But, I was literally looking at myself.

Directly in front of my line of sight...was me. My body was leaning up while I (in another body) stayed very still on the ground.

If I was there...How was I looking at myself? Who's eyes were I looking through?

Confused, I blinked a few more times when the 'me' across from where I was spoke, "Hiccup, are you alright?"

I watched as the new owner of my body clasped a hand over their mouth, jade green eyes wide.

"Astrid, what's wrong?"

_M-My voice! What was wrong with my voice!_

It did not sound like my own, and instead sounded more feminine - more like Astrids' in fact.

To further add to the insanity, hands that were not my hands, flung to my face.

"No, no, no," I said in Astrid's voice. Her hands, these were her hands! And, her hair… I touched her hair, which was on my head, and I felt the braid under my fingertips.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening," I looked down at myself. I was wearing what Astrid was, a pair of curve hugging yoga pants (that were surprisingly itchy) and a pair of tall brown boots. Those hands continued down as I touched the smaller shoulders and felt the flowey fabric of the shirt she had been wearing. Then my hands brushed over my chest and I squeezed at the breasts there.

_The breasts?!_

"Hey don't touch me there!" Asitrd, in my body with my voice, said. She (or me) leaned over, slapping my hands away and I kept them up in the air.

It hit me then: Astrid and I switched bodies somehow.

Mortified I looked at her, "what the hell just happened?"

"You can say that again," a velvet and deep voice said. To which, the owner of that voice was the man that had been coming out of the washroom to begin with.

Jack Frost was grinning down at us as he watched the entire thing.

This day just got instantly worst.

^.^


	2. The Witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to confuse you less, if a body-swapped character has ' ' in their name, then it's not really that character :)

Astrid and I looked at each other in horror and in separate bodies when Jack spoke. "Are you two alright? That looked like a nasty fall."

"Uh, yeah. We're fine, right, Astrid?" I said, then quickly corrected myself. "I-I mean Hiccup."

Astrid caught on faster than me. "Yeah. I'm alright, thank you Astrid."

She untangled herself easily, even with the prosthetic, and stood up. It was more graceful than anything I could have managed. "I-uh have to go."

I stood up quickly, "B-but Hiccup, we were supposed to...to hang out." In a quieter voice I added. "And talk about that thing."

"Right," 'Hiccup' nodded. "But that thing can wait. Bye!" She said curtly as she turned around and walked down the hallway. The prosthetic must have caught her off balance because she had a bit of a limp to her walk.

"That was weird," Jack watched 'Hiccup' go, then turned back to me. "We can hang out if you want."

I blinked, "No, that's fine Jack. Thank you."

"Suit yourself."

I hesitated, looking into those bright blue eyes and knowing smirk. I quickly tried to think about what Astrid would say and found those words. "If you'll excuse me I have to go to the washroom."

I moved on my own, not quite realizing I was opening the same door Jack had come through that led to the men's washroom. Naturally, I knew where it was.

"Uh, my friend," Jack smirked. "Are you sure you want to go in that one?"

I looked at the little picture of the man on the door, then let the door go and watched it swing closed. "No, of course not. I'm a woman. I need the women's room."

Jack kept a smirk on his face as I gulped, looking down the halls. Dammit, which was way that damned bathroom? How was I supposed to know which one was the ladies room?

"Oh, don't worry Astrid, I get what's going on." Jack clapped me on the shoulder, gently steering me down the hall.

"Y-you do?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "And let me tell you, I'm a little nervous too."

"Y-you are?" We came to a slow stop in front of the female's washroom door.

"Of course, I've never done it in the girls washroom before. Could be fun."

I had forgotten, Jack was known as a huge flirt. He was new and had transferred here fairly recently, but was a hit among many of the girls. I, personally, only knew of Jack by catching a glimpse - he was a good-looking guy, and I was no stranger to admiring good looks when I came across them.

As I assessed Jack, he really was handsome. He had high cheekbones, a straight nose and jawline. His face was surprisingly clear, which left a perfect canvas for eyes so bright and blue they could have been jewels. His white hair and skin was stark against the dark blue hoodie he wore today.

"I think I can handle this on my own," I politely refused his advances.

"Okay, I'll wait for you then."

I glared at Jack. I just needed him to leave me alone for all of two-minutes so I could call Astrid and get her to bring my body back.

Jack was waiting for me to go inside and I felt myself get red. I was about to walk into the woman's washroom and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew they did not have urinals like we did, so there wouldn't be any accidents...but still.

I walked into the washroom. It was a standard washroom (minus the urinals) with three stalls. I went into the furthest one and pulled out Astrid's cell phone. It had face recognition and opened up once I looked into the camera. Then, I pulled up her contacts and found my number in it.

I dialed it, the tone didn't take long before she answered in my voice. "Hello?"

I whispered aggressively into the phone, "where the hell did you go? You are aware we have a slight issue on our hands."

"Not for me," she said on the other line. "It worked out perfectly for me. I need to go, Hiccup I have try-outs."

Oh no, that didn't sound good.

"Astrid, you can't try-out for a team with my body! My dad will know something is up, plus what happens when we switch back, huh? I'll be expected to keep up with this team."

She answered confidently, clearly thinking this through already. "No you won't. We can just switch bodies when I need to go to practice. Your dad won't find out. I really need your body Hiccup, please."

"Why can't you do it in your own body?" I huffed into the phone.

"Because it's an all-boys team. Girl's can't join." She said.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Damnit Astrid, I'm not a sporty guy. Just because you are doesn't mean my body will be able to do it. Let me talk to my dad, there's gotta be something I can do -"

"Oh!" She exclaimed, "That's a great idea, Hic! I'll talk to your dad tonight and tell him to let me join."

I rolled my eyes, "it's not that easy." I failed to mention that my dad was stubborn and arguing with him was like arguing with a rock.

"Let me borrow your body until tonight. I promise we will switch back."

"Fine." I huffed, "What the hell am I supposed to do until tonight in your body?"

"Well, I do have a date with Snotlout. You can go on that for me." She said sheepishly from the other line. "Oh, I have to go, talk later!"

"Astrid! Astrid, don't you dare hang up on me -"

The other line clicked and squeezed my eyes shut. This day was just getting worse - a date with Snotlout! Was she out of her mind?

I left the stall, not thinking about even using the washroom because that was just too weird. I washed my hands and came out into the hall, Jack was still waiting.

"Do you want to hang out?" I said, begrudgingly. This made Jack's face light up.

"Sure."

^.^

We went to go watch the practice, which turned out to be try-outs for the all boys Viking Sports team. My dad was a huge fan of these sports, and the competitions ranged from archery, sword fighting, wrestling and more.

"I never knew Hiccup was into these kinds of sports," Jack said as we watched Astrid, indeed, trying out for the Viking team. In my body. It didn't help when Snotlout was also trying-out.

"Yeah, me either." I said, sarcastically.

"You've known Hiccup for a long time, right?" Jack asked and I stopped watching for a moment to look at him.

"Yes, why?" I answered slowly.

Jack shrugged. "Being the new guy, I'm just trying to learn everyone's history here."

"Oh." I tried to think of what Astrid would say. "Hiccup and I go way back. He's... a great guy, super funny… amazing friend."

"Ouch," Jack said. "You just said the 'F' word when you know he's into you."

I gulped and looked out at the field, watching as Astrid struggled in my body to do the proper maneuvers. She did one hell of a job though.

I guess it was already well-known that I had a crush on Astrid. "I thought you were new to this school."

"I have eyes," said Jack. "I also know what it's like to be into someone who has no interest in you."

"Ha!" I laughed out loud, "that's poetic. The ladies-man Jack Frost is into someone he can't have?"

Jack smirked at this, "I could have them right now if I wanted."

This made me stop laughing, as Jack turned very serious.

Thoughts about competing with not only Snotlout but with Jack flashed through my mind.

Jack's gaze flickered behind me, then back to mine. "We have company."

I turned and indeed, we had company. Snotlout and Ruffnut were running up to us. They were sweaty and wearing red pinnies for the try-outs.

"Hey Astrid," Snotlout greeted me. "Come to watch how real men play sports?" He made a gesture of showing off his muscles.

"Actually I'm waiting for Hiccup." I said and watched how his face squinted up with distaste and confusion.

"Are we still on tonight?"

"I can't stay out late, actually." I crossed my arms. If Astrid insisted we switch bodies for the day, I was going to make sure she regretted it. I was going to make sure all I did was stay indoors so I didn't have to talk, or kiss, anyone else. In fact, I would prefer if we could switch back immediately, but seeing as neither of us had any idea how to do that... we were a little out of options.

Ruffnut said, "but there's a party -"

"I can't tonight."

Ruffnut and Snotlout looked at each other, giving one another a confused look before I saw 'Hiccup' walking over.

"Hiccup!" I stood up and waved. "Over here!"

The confused looks only grew and now everyone's attention was on Hiccup as he walked over. "Great job out there," Jack said to him.

"Uh-thanks." 'Hiccup' replied, "What's going on?"

Snotlout glared at him, "Come one, Ruff. Let's get out of here."

"Yeah." Ruff said as the jocks turned around and started to walk away. I jumped off the bleachers to 'Hiccup' and grabbed him, hard, by the arm.

"Alright, let's go. Enough is enough, I'm not staying in your body all night." I whispered to 'Hiccup' before turning and waving to Jack, plastering on a smile. "Thanks for keeping me company Jack, see you later!"

Astrid, in my body, dug her heels into the ground, "You said I get to talk to your dad -"

"No, that's not going to happen. I'm not staying in your body anymore. I told you I want to find a way to switch back."

"Hiccup this means a lot to me. Girls haven't been able to try-out for the Viking's Team in years."

I gritted my teeth, "I'll talk to my dad, but we have to go Astrid -"

In-between our arguing, Jack interrupted us. "Actually I was wondering, since I have you two together now, if we can try something."

The two of us turned to him.

"What?" I said.

Jack smiled. "It's simple really, and since you're a good dude, Hic. I wanted your blessing. Can I kiss Astrid?"

"Y-you can't just ask to kiss someone you've only met out of the blue. What is wrong with you -"

"Hiccup, shut up for s second," Astrid shushed me and I did as I was told. I watched her as she analysed Jack, something seemed to click. Something I wasn't catching on.

"How do you know?" Astrid said to Jack. "How do you know that I'm not Hiccup?"

Jack shrugged. "Let me kiss you and I'll tell you how."

It sounded so incredibly insane to me, that suddenly it made sense.

Jack knew.

Somehow, when we switched bodies, he had known. And not just from a well educated guess. He really knew. I remembered how he stayed with me the entire time, watching me and not leaving my side. He wanted to wait for Astrid and I to come back together.

I opened my mouth to speak but Jack pressed the pad of his finger to my lips. I blinked in surprise at the tender touch.

He looked at 'Hiccup', "do I have your blessing?"

"Yes." Astrid said in my body, a little uneasily.

"Technically you need my blessing too," I pointed out, but Jack only smirked. He cupped my face with both hands, leaning in and pressing his thin lips against mine.

I felt that surge of energy again, felt it well up into the pit of my stomach like butterflies and I felt my eyes flutter close.

This feeling was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was intense, like stepping through a veil of a waterfall. Turbulent, soft and refreshing. The cool feeling against my skin seemed to snap me back into reality and I opened my eyes.

When I opened them, I was staring at Astrid's blue-grey eyes. I blinked and looked around, slightly confused until I saw 'Hiccup' still standing beside us.

I was now in Jack's body. And Jack was in Astrid's.

"Fascinating," 'Astrid' said, then turned to 'Hiccup'. "Let me see if it works for you."

"No, no, no, hey!" I protested as Jack leaned down, kissing Astrid in my body. I smacked him on the back. "What the hell, man you can't just go around kissing people -"

"It worked," Astrid -or Jack - said. I was actually confused at this point as to who was who.

"What do you mean it worked?" I looked between them. "You switched?"

'Astrid' and 'Hiccup' stared at one another for a moment while I felt like I was having a mental breakdown trying to understand what was going on.

"Can someone please explain to me what the hell is happening!"

'Hiccup' turned to me.

"Astrid is a witch."

^.^

We all switch back to our regular bodies. It took my body kissing Jack, Jack kissing Astrid, and then me kissing Astrid again to finally get back into my own skin finally.

After, Jack brought us to a local cafe where he promised he would tell us what he meant by Astrid being a witch.

We sat in a corner booth, and I ordered a regular tea.

Jack waited for the waitress to leave, not without giving her a quick overall glance, before addressing us. "I'll be blunt, have you kissed anyone before?"

He was looking at me and I squirmed. "Well, of course not."

"Me either," Astrid said.

"It makes sense then why you wouldn't have noticed until now." Jack observed. "You're a witch, Astrid."

Jack turned his crystal blue gaze on me. "And you, you're something else. You have the power to copy power just by kissing them. It was how your body was able to switch. But if we kissed now, we probably couldn't because that was Astrid's power and not yours."

I waited, and it wasn't until Jack leaned in that I realized he was serious.

"Wait, here - now?!" I jerked backwards. "You can't just go around kissing everyone."

"It's for a good cause," Astrid said from across the table, watching intently.

Oh, of course she was going to get comfortable and watch. Jack leaned in again, and I sighed deeply, meeting him halfway this time and closing my eyes. I gave him a quick peck and leaned back.

"See, it didn't work." Jack leaned back too. "That must mean you're something else."

"A warlock?" Astrid suggested.

"No, I've met a warlock. Their distinctively different." Jack pursed his lips, and his eyes darkened.

"What are you?" I looked at Jack, who seemed to be a normal student. Young. Athletic. Good-looking. Smart. "How do you know all of this?"

"I'm a witch hunter." said Jack.

Astrid, for good measure, had the decency to look concerned. Jack elaborated. "I'm not here to hurt you. I actually need the witches."

"Why," I eyed him. "Why do you need witches?"

Jack crossed his lightly corded and muscled arms, "I came here on the very limited knowledge that there may be a witch in the area. Multiple, actually. I'm looking for them."

Astrid asked, "What do you want to do with the witches when you find them?"

Jack dug through his bag and produced a large canister. "There's a man out there, his name is Pitch Black. He's a warlock and had been using witches as a power source for his darker magik. He sucks their life essence dry, into one of these, where he can use their powers. The process kills the original witch."

I felt my inside hallow out. "What?"

Pitch Black...killed witches? It was awful, and all for their power? It was a terrifying thought and I had to force myself breathe again.

Astrid and I had the same expressions on our faces.

Jack nodded. "I've tracked him to be in this area. He's probably also tracking witches to target and was most likely onto you. When a witch uses their powers, in any small amount, it leaves an imprint that can be traced."

"What do we do?" I said, feeling slightly frantic and a little scared that someone could not only 'track' us but could be hunting for us. For Astrid. To kill her, or worst.

"You don't have to do anything," Jack shot me a harsh look before glancing at Astrid. "But you can help me."

"How?" Astrid said in a small voice. It was unusual for her to sound so...afraid. I didn't like it.

Luckily, the barista came back with our drinks and we took a much needed mental break. As soon as she left, Jack brought us back to the conversation.

He pitched his voice, "If you willingly give up your powers, Pitch can't track you anymore. You'll be off his radar."

"You can't be serious," I said out loud. "You want us to believe you're taking her powers for her protection? What if you're in on it?"

"Hiccup," Astrid said in a warning voice.

I dared a look back at her, "No, Astrid. We can't trust him. You literally just found out you're a witch and now he wants to take that away from you? We need more information."

Jack said, "Actually I wouldn't be taking it away from her at all."

I scoffed and Jack continued. "I would be giving it to you, Hiccup."

Now, I truly was surprised. "What, why?"

"You are not a witch, therefore you cannot be tracked. However, you can use the powers like a witch can. So while Astrid would be technically giving up her powers, you would still have them. And after this is all over, you can willingly give them back to her." said Jack.

"After this is all over?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

Jack said, "When we find the other witches in the area and kill Pitch."

"This is crazy," I shook my head. "Absolutely crazy. We officially met you all of two hours ago and we now have to not only give you Astrid's powers but I'm your sidekick now?"

Astrid rubbed her temples. "Hiccup stop, it's fine."

"But -"

"I didn't even know about any of this until literally this afternoon. I wouldn't miss it to be honest." said Astrid. "It feels a little invasive anyway. To be afraid that if I can't control this power and accidentally switch bodies with someone."

I didn't want to just go along with Jack's crazy plan. Especially when they should be looking into the core of these 'powers' a little more closely. But, if taking away Astrid's powers meant that she wouldn't be hunted by this...evil Pitch Black, maybe it couldn't be so bad. Besides, if Astrid was safe - wasn't that what I wanted?

I thought of the other witches who could possibly be slaughtered for nothing more than gaining their powers. Innocent people. It felt incredibly sadistic and terrifying.

If all I had to do was absorb those powers and work with Jack...how bad could it be?

Slowly, I said. "What do we have to do?"

^.^


	3. The Warlock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to try out a third-person POV. What do we think? Stick to first, or third?

_Jack: Meet me at this location. Nine pm. (5:42pm)_

That was the text Hiccup had received from Jack after he left the cafe.

Could he be any more cryptic? Hiccup wondered as he made his way home. Once inside, his black-cat, toothless, greeted him at the door excitedly.

"Hi Toothless," said Hiccup, stroking the black cat's chin. He put his jacket away and walked into the kitchen, where Valka, Hiccup's mom, was working on dinner. Hiccup knew his friend's moms were pretty but there was an almost unrealistic charm and grace his mother beheld every time he saw her. She was stunning with her sharp facial features, dark auburn hair and green eyes, which Hiccup had inherited from both his parents.

"Hi, hun," Valka greeted Hiccup. "Make sure Toothless has food for the week, there's some sales on his favorite canned fish at the grocery store right now."

"Yes mom," Hiccup said and walked to the refrigerator to grab a glass of milk. "What's for dinner?"

"Seafood pasta," said Valka. "Speaking of which, I'll need your help with the scallops. They're over in the sink."

Hiccup didn't mind helping his mom in the kitchen. In fact, he kind of enjoyed cooking. He wasn't great at it, but preferred it over doing outside house work. Stoic, his father, was the man of the house and was always looking at fixing or improving things.

Hiccup worked methodically, occasionally making small talk with his mom. All the while, the topic of magik, witches and warlocks plagued his mind. He wondered where they would have come from if Hiccup had magik. It was a conversation that was easier to have with his mother over his father.

"Ma," said Hiccup as he strained the scallops over the sink. "Do you know if us Horrendous' had any… interesting qualities?"

"Hm, how so dear?" said Valka.

Hiccup struggled for the words. "Like, you know, special abilities."

"Your father has always been so well coordinated in sports," his mom said.

"Uh, not like that. I'm thinking more...unique. Has anyone been able to do unexplained things?" said Hiccup.

Val stopped her motions for a second, giving the question her full attention now. "Unexplained things. This may not be what you're asking but when I was a girl, I had the ability to communicate with animals."

Hiccup looked at his mother, "Really? Did you ever tell anyone?"

"I haven't told anyone that," Val said. "Not even your father."

Hiccup was intrigued, he put down the bowl of scallops and lowered his voice. "How did you know you...were actually talking to animals?"

Valka laughed. "I've always known I was a little unique, as you say. It started when I was a young girl, as soon as I started learning how to read and write. I could hear the family dog. It wasn't...words per-say, but more of a telepathic communication. I instinctively knew what he needed, and where he was. I never told anyone that."

"Can you still do it?" Hiccup asked, excitedly. "Right now - with Toothless?"

Now, Valka's eyes widened before she looked away. "I-I can't. When I met your father, I was no longer able to hear them."

Valka looked visibly upset, and Hiccup frowned. "I'm sorry mom. I guess I just feel...like something is different about me."

"Oh, Hiccup." Val said, gently touching Hiccup's cheek. "You are different. And it's beautiful, you're growing up into a man now, your body is going through -"

"Mom!" Hiccup jerked backwards when he was starting to follow where this conversation was heading. "Dad already had that talk with me, I don't need to hear it again."

Valka laughed while Hiccup picked back up where he was tending to the scallops. All the while, his mind wandered aimlessly about witches, magik, witch-hunters and warlocks.

He wondered where, exactly, he fit into this world. He wasn't a warlock, since Hiccup didn't think he had any powers. Not to his knowledge, anyway. But it was the same for Astrid. She didn't know she was a witch until they kissed this afternoon.

A few hours passed and his father came home for dinner. Everything was already prepared, Hiccup and Valka had just finished setting the table.

"Ah, son. I'm glad you're here. We need to talk about your try-outs." Stoic said.

Hiccup mentally cussed. With all of this witch information, he had completely forgotten about Astrid trying out for the Vikings Team.

Valka's face lit up. "Hiccup, you didn't tell me you tried out for the team! I'm so proud of you my boy!"

"Uh," Hiccup stammered. "Well, actually I wanted to talk to you about that."

Stoic sat down at the head of the table, he grabbed the bowl of salad and started dishing it onto his plate.

Hiccup said, "So, I know I tried out for the team but I really have no interest in joining."

"What?" Stoic and Valka said together.

Stoic said, "but son you were great! I didn't think you had it in you, and boy was I wrong!"

Hiccup lowered his gaze. "Right… uh so, I just don' think it's a great idea. With classes and all -"

Valka said in a concerned voice. "Dear, is there something bothering you? If you're good at this, it would mean a lot to your father."

Damnit, damnit... Hiccup was only digging himself into a bigger hole.

"I'm not good at it though," Hiccup sighed. "You see, Astrid wanted me to try out and I really wanted to love the Viking's Team but... I feel bad that she can't join the club because she's a girl. She's really great, probably better than any of the guys. I think she deserves a shot at it. I want to give her my spot on the team."

The topic seemed to perk his mother's ears. Valka gave Stoic a hard look. "What is he saying? Stoic you can't be serious! This day and age, and there's still all-boy Viking Teams?"

"Valka," Stoic warned. "You know it's not my decision -"

Valka interrupted him. "You're the Director of the Physical Education Department for a reason. Prejudices like this are exactly what held me back when I was in school. I wasn't able to join the clubs I wanted because I was a girl. For goodness sake, Astrid is a competent young woman. Let her join the team..."

Hiccup remained quiet as the two of them discussed and he realized he didn't have to add anything else to the conversation, his mother would handle it.

By this time tomorrow, Astrid would be on the Viking' Team.

^.^

Nine came faster than Hiccup was prepared for. He had dressed casually, a green button down and a dark wash pair of jeans. He also threw on a brown, faded leather jacket when he heard his phone buzzing. It was a text message from Jack.

_Jack: You on your way, or what? (8:45pm)_

Hiccup scowled at the text message that flashed across his screen.

_Hiccup: Stop texting me. (8:45pm)_

_Jack: You like it. (8:46pm)_

Now, Hiccup rolled his eyes and tucked his phone into his pocket. Even though Jack annoyed him, he couldn't help the grin as he thought about Jack's face, or how he could hear the purr in his voice when he said those words. Probably with a grin.

Hiccup shook his head. Stop thinking about Jack, he told himself.

Finally, when he felt ready, Hiccup went downstairs, announcing "I'm going out for a bit," to his parents.

"Have fun, Hunny!" Valka said from the couch. It was movie night for his parents, which meant they weren't going to question him about his whereabouts.

Having fun was probably the last thing that was going to happen, Hiccup thought. Whatever this meeting was, it would be anything but fun.

^.^

The directions Jack gave him were at an abandoned building. Hiccup looked at it suspiciously, the exterior was full of graffiti. The structure looked like it would come down any day now. It also looked like it could have some kind of gang affiliation, or one of those buildings he saw people doing urban ghost hunting in.

Hiccup parked his car, a 2003 Toyota Corolla, in the front of the building. He saw Jack's car, a fancy and strikingly new Mercedes. Hiccup knew it was Jacks car because he had seen the girls nearly drool all over him every time Jack pulled up to school.

_Hiccup: Here (9:05pm)_

_Jack: Park in front, come around to the back. (9:05pm)_

Nervously, Hiccup got out of his car and rounded the building, to the back as Jack instructed. Indeed, Jack was there and was standing in front of a small, burning fire from what looked like a barrel. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, dark jeans and boots.

"Where are we?" Hiccup said, observing Jack's dark outfit. The dark contrast of his clothes contrasted his light skin, eyes and hair. The contrast did a number on his eyes, which were watching Hiccup the moment he walked up to Jack.

"This is the birthplace of the original local witch from this area." said Jack, "Obviously it looks a bit different than it did four hundred years ago."

"Four hundred years?" Hiccup gawked. "How do you know this?"

"Did you bring what I asked?" said Jack, ignoring Hiccup's question.

Hiccup searched his pockets and produced a piece of paper he had written when he was four years old. It was a scribbled drawing to his mom, something he had used crayons for. It had said something along the lines of 'I love you', with a picture of a dragon. But Hiccup wasn't sure.

"Why do you need this again?" Hiccup passed the drawing to Jack.

"The earliest manifestation of a witch or warlock's power is when they begin learning how to read and write. The mana, which is the essence of our magik, usually remains somewhere within them and becomes more nurtured as that person ages. Mana exists within us as a spiritual energy and manifests itself physically when it becomes depleted."

It reminded Hiccup of what his mother said earlier: how her powers started to manifest when she could read and write.

"Does age make the mana go away?" Hiccup asked, curiously.

"Not necessarily," said Jack. "Sometimes if a witch and warlock meet without ever introducing their powers to one another, they tend to cancel each other's mana out."

"So, if you're physical with someone who also has mana the likelihood of it going away increases?" Hiccup clarified. If that was true, it would mean that his father had some kind of magik too. Magik that made him good at sports, just like how his mother had magik that made her able to communicate with animals.

"Unfortunately, they didn't make it easy for witches and warlocks to reproduce." Jack grinned. "In fact, it's almost near impossible."

"It seems like you have to be quite in-tune with your instincts to have any idea you're a witch or a warlock." Observed Hiccup. "And even then, you have to be sure of the other person's...magikal competence. Sounds pretty complicated."

"You have no idea," Jack mused. "There are so many different ways a witch or warlock can manifest their mana. Some think it's a sixth sense, while others...well, you just start to realize that you're not normal."

Something about the way Jack said that last part pulled on Hiccup. He met those baby-blue jewels and gave him a small smile.

It reminded Hiccup, painfully, just how handsome Jack was. It was almost unreal, and unfair, for someone to be so good-looking. Hiccup couldn't keep his eyes off him and Jack probably knew it too that he was handsome guy. Jack played on it, usually flirting with anything that walked his way. Rumors had started that Jack had a keen interest in woman, but wasn't a stranger to taking a male lover. Jack knew exactly what his sexuality was, and he had no qualms about using his cards to his advantage.

It was more bold than Hiccup would ever be. Hiccup had only one crush in his entire life, but the way Jack looked at him...he could see himself easily falling into that same trap of looks, charm and swagger. Even though Hiccup had never, outwardly, had an interest in guys - it didn't mean he wasn't curious, and a bit confused at times. Hiccup believed that the heart fell in love with the soul before the sex.

The moment only lasted for a couple of seconds before Jack looked over the drawing, making a face and smirking. "This is awful."

"I was four!" Exclaimed Hiccup and Jack laughed. He was caught in the middle of explaining how even a four year-old usually held some kind of competence in art when his gaze caught behind Hiccup.

Astrid was walking towards them, alone. She wore a long trench-coat that graced her sleek and thin figure. Her hair was braided and she had one darker makeup than she would normally wear for school.

"Ah," said Jack. "Here's the real star of the show."

Astrids' boot heels clicked to a stop as she approached Jack and Hiccup. "I'm here. What do we have to do?"

"Depends," Jack mused in a slightly seductive voice. "This area is not very secluded. We could draw attention to ourselves if you can't handle the pain. But, I take it you're not the type to scream."

"What?" Hiccup's gaze flickered to Jack, understanding the immanent warning behind the flirtation. "You didn't say it would hurt her."

Jack gave him a mischievous grin, his eyes were bright against the undulating firelight. "There's a reason witches don't give up their powers willingly."

"Damn you -"

"It's okay, Hiccup." Astrid said, touching Hiccup's arm. "I'll be fine."

Hiccup continued to glare at Jack as he said, "The pain is relative to what will come if you don't give up your powers. Pitch Black is capable of much more entertaining tactics."

"Let's just get this over with." Hiccup grumbled. He took Astrid's hand in his own, squeezing gently.

Jack's gaze hardened as he stepped closer to Hiccup and Astrid, holding out his hands for the two of them to take. "Let's start."

Astrid and Hiccup both took Jack's outstretched hands, closing the circle.

Jack said, "You'll feel a...cool sensation. The steps after the incantation are simple: endure the pain and when I give the word, Hiccup will kiss you."

"O-okay," Hiccup said, glancing nervously at Astrid. He had known her all his life. Astrid was as tough as they came, but even she had her limits. And this pain Jack talked about...what would it feel like? Hiccup worried silently as he gently squeezed Astrid's hand a little harder.

Jack raised his eyebrows at Astrid. "Endure the pain. It won't last long. Think you can handle that?"

"Just start." Astrid said, and Hiccup saw as she began to prepare herself for what was to come.

Jack nodded and then closed his eyes. Hiccup watched as Jacks' shoulders relaxed when he drew a breath. He watched as a blue, flame-like, started to radiate from Jack. The cold feeling happened immediately after. It started from Jack's hands, which turned ice cold. Hiccup gripped Jack's hand uncomfortably as he shifted. The cold only intensified, starting at his fingertips, and rising to his forearms.

Hiccup started shivering uncontrollably before he realized he had lost control of his breathing. His arms shook and he felt Jack grip him tighter as he hissed, "focus."

Hiccup gulped, which came out as a shaky sigh. He tipped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.

From beside him, Astrid made a small noise of discomfort. He was so cold now, everything was starting to become numb. His entire body felt like it was filled with that icy-fire that radiated from Jack.

Jack's voice finally came through, speaking the incarnation.

"I take the power in my hands from air, water, fire and land.

Powers of the devils,

And the creator pulsates the energy in me.

Return this spell from which it came.

Upon thy sanity, I do hold.

Set the damage, return threefold."

Astrid yelped out in pain when Jack had finished the incantation. Hiccup snapped his head towards her.

"Astrid!"

She was standing with her back arched, her head tipped backwards as she, indeed, tried not to scream out loud. Her back shuttered, making her hands shake against Hiccup's. Blood started to slowly trickle from her nostrils as she groaned in agony.

Hiccup tried to break the hold by yanking his hand away, Jack only tightened his grip. When Hiccup turned to glare at him, Jack was giving him a dangerous, glittering, look. It was different than the usual mischievous or seductive looks Jack was known for. This was serious.

"If you break the bond now, she will die. Her mana is manifesting," said Jack.

Astrid started screaming and writhing.

"STOP!" She screamed, tears now streaming from her eyes. "Please stop!"

"Jack we have to stop -"

"No," Jack's gaze was fixated on her. "It's almost over. She needs to fight through the pain."

Astrid screamed again, this time her chest rose upwards, as if she were being pulled by some unseen string from the sky. Hiccup's heart was pounding, despite the chill that resided deep in his bones now.

He was scared. Terrified. He had no idea how to help her, or how to make any of this go away.

Astrid's agony lasted for what felt like hours before there was a sudden surge in the air. It felt as if the energy around them turned turbulent. The loose strands of Astrid's hair whipped around her face violently.

Hiccup tightened his grip on her hand. She was going to be okay. She had to be okay.

The energy that had risen up between the group suddenly stopped. Everything stopped. Astrid, who was practically being held up by her chest, dropped to the ground. Her legs were too weak to keep her standing. Jack had let go of both of them, and Hiccup was on the ground next to Astrid, holding her up.

She was unconscious.

"Do it now," Jack urged. "Kiss her."

"What? She's not breathing!" Hiccup said as he put his ear to her lips. Indeed, there were no breaths, or rising of her chest.

"Hiccup, do it now!" Jack said in a hard and terrible tone.

Hiccup, panicking, looked at Astrid. His eyes were wide as he took her in, gazing at her bloodied and tear-streaked face. Not breathing. Slowly, he pushed back any fallen hair over her face, leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth.

It was awkward and placid, she didn't move from under him. He panicked again when he didn't feel her breathing until a sharp pain snapped over his body. It happened suddenly and he jerked backwards as the stabbing sensation ran through him. He opened his mouth to gasp out, gripping at his chest as his lungs suddenly felt like they were not getting enough air. He gasped, trying to catch his breath but a low and painful scream ripped through his throat.

He felt like he couldn't breathe. His chest was expanding painfully, every nerve in his body was suddenly on fire and another low groan escaped his lips before he could stop it.

"Make it stop," He gasped out. Reaching for..for anything. Hiccup curved into himself as the pain started to eat him from the inside. "MAKE IT STOP!"

He felt Jack's hands, those ice-cold hands, on his shoulders. The sudden change in temperature sent a dull jolt through his body and the sharp pain began to subside. Jack pulled at his shoulders, pulling Hiccup upwards. Jack's hands moved and were on either side of Hiccup's face before Jack kissed him.

Everything stopped. The turbulent and violent energy subsided. There was no more wind whipping around them, or burning throughout his skin. The pain started to lessen until it was a wick that faded out. Slowly, Jack pulled back.

The air around them was quiet as Hiccup was panting to catch his breath. From under him, Astrid groaned.

"Astrid, thank Thor." Hiccup helped lift her neck up. Smoothing down her sweat-laden hair. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Y-yeah, I think so." She put a hand on her face, noticing the blood there.

Jack stood up, walking to the fire and throwing the drawing Hiccup had given him into it. The fire sputtered a deep blue before turning back into dancing orange-red flames.

"What was that?" Hiccup accused him, angrily, in a weak voice. "You didn't mention she could die from this."

"Would you have done it otherwise?" Jack snapped back, looking at the fire. It seemed whatever exertion he endured made him prone to being easily annoyed. "It's over now, she'll be fine with some rest."

Hiccup huffed out a breath. "Why did all of that happen?"

"That," Jack said pointedly, "Is what happens to mana that is not contained. Mana is nothing more than turbulent and dark energy contained within a vessel. Without a vessel, it can only cause destruction."

Astrid started to move from under Hiccup. Slowly, she pushed herself up and Hiccup helped her to her feet. He kept a hand on her elbow and waist, steadying her.

Astrid looked at Jack, "I felt you there. That was your power, wasn't it? The ice cold."

Hiccup realized, right before Jack started the incantation, the sensation of his insides freezing were from Jack's touch.

Jack remained looking at the flame.

Something became painfully clear to Hiccup in those moments:

_'You just start to realize that you're not normal.'_

Jack had said that to him shortly before Astrid showed up. And when he said it...his voice was so sad. It had touched something within Hiccup that felt so, devastatingly, lonely and vulnerable.

"You're a warlock," said Hiccup and Jack gave him a side-eyed look.

Astrid said, "when you finished the incantation, I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. Was that the mana?"

Jack turned to face Astrid, "It's how our magik lives within us. Mana is more than just energy, it's connected to a piece of our souls."

"How did you take it away?" asked Astrid.

"Our mana has limits to how much we can use before it becomes depleted. I used my mana to draw on yours internally until your reserves were critically low. It forced the mana to manifest as energy, which Hiccup was able to siphon when he kissed you."

"But then I felt that pain," said Hiccup as he recalled the intense pain he endured shortly after the kiss. It was very likely the same pain Astrid had endured.

"It was rejecting you since you're not a warlock. Mana has memory and I used my mana to not only finish depleting Astrid's, but to allow it to settle. It's similar to what I told you about mana cancelling other mana when witches and warlocks become physical. I introduced my mana to Astrid's to help cancel out the rejection." said Jack.

"It never rejected me when I kissed her and body-swapped." Hiccup said.

Jack said, "That's because it was temporary. You only siphoned a portion of her mana, enough to be able to use it. This time was different because now that mana is yours completely."

Jack's eyed darkened as he glanced over to Hiccup. Again, there was something about the unspoken words that Hiccup seemed to catch onto. "Wait, this afternoon you said you didn't know what I was. But just now, you said that I siphoned Astrid's magik. How did you know that?"

Jack's gaze remained steady. "Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't be able to transfer powers between witches and warlocks. It almost guarantees the original witch or warlock will die. This was a test, to find out for sure what you are and I'm certain I have it now: you're a siphoner."

"A siphoner?" Hiccup said.

"It's a type of hybrid-witch. You may, or may not, have powers of your own but you can siphon powers from other witches and warlocks around you. I haven't heard of a siphoner for...millennia. They were all killed off by their clans for being abominations. They are considered the greatest threat to witches and warlocks alike."

A fear shuttered through Hiccup at the thought of innocent people being murdered for no other reason than because they were different. It was almost worse than Pitch killing witches for their powers.

For the first time in a long time, Astrid finally sounded as if she were annoyed. "So you just thought you would 'test' this theory of Hiccup being a siphoner without any tangible proof? I could have died."

Now, Jack rolled his head back. "You didn't seem to have a problem with it before. Now, we are certain that Hiccup is a siphoner. It will be all the more useful when we find more witches."

Hiccup growled. "No, Astrid is right! She could have died! Next time you plan on 'helping' us, don't hold back information."

Jack countered, smoothly. "Next time, ask the right questions."

"We're done here," said Hiccup, glaring at Jack. "Let's go Astrid."

Hiccup kept his arm across Astrid's back as she still seemed a little weak. Together, they turned around and left Jack standing alone near the fire. Hiccup felt used, upset and betrayed. They had trusted Jack to help them with Astrid's power (and her life) but he had nearly risked it all to figure out what Hiccup was.

It was reckless and Jack couldn't be trusted. Even though Hiccup was now tied to him by his loyalty to help the witches, he knew Jack had another agenda.

That gave him a pivotal rule to apply during this 'partnership'. Hiccup would work with Jack, do what he needed and protect the witches, but Hiccup did not want to have any kind of feelings for him. He couldn't be trusted.

^.^


	4. Witches Ground

Jack had text Hiccup the next day.

_Jack: Can we talk? (10:45am)_

Hiccup had just finished eating a late breakfast as he read the text. An annoyed scowl must have been plastered on his face because his mother asked, "is everything okay, dear?"

Hiccup made his face neutral as he drank a glass of milk, "yeah everything's fine."

After he was done eating, he washed his plates and went upstairs, flopping onto his bed.

_Hiccup: What? (11:10am)_

_Jack: Are you free? (11:10am)_

Hiccup debating lying to him. It was a Saturday morning and he didn't have to see Jack until Monday at school. He still had to find a way to calm himself down after being lied to.

_Hiccup: Not really. Busy all weekend. See you Monday. (11:20am)_

Jack, to Hiccup's relief and dismay, didn't text back.

^.^

On Monday at school, Jack was unavoidable. Hiccup had tried during a non-mandatory faculty update in the morning, which was basically his father saying females were now able to try-out for any all-boys teams. Stoic had made clear that other teams would be adjusting their rooster to also include women.

Stoic announced, to a very happy Astrid, that she would be the first woman to pioneer this adjustment.

After the meeting Astrid found Hiccup and surprised him with a big hug. "Thank you so much, Hic!"

Hiccup enjoyed the brief embrace, wrapping his arms around Astrid's slender frame. "Don't worry about it. You deserve it. And you should really be thanking my mother, when she found out about it...oh man did she rip into dad."

Astrid pulled back, a beaming smile planted on her face. "Why do I feel like this is exactly how I imagined it would go. It doesn't matter. Thank you for..well, for starting that conversation."

She gave his hand a squeeze and Hiccup couldn't help the floppy smile his face conjured up. "You're welcome."

Hiccup and Astrid went their separate ways. He was surprised that, by the end of the day, Jack had finally found him. Or perhaps it was intentional.

Jack was wearing a light-blue scoop neck that clung to his toned arms and torso, paired with a dark-wash pair of jeans. Hiccup sighed out in annoyance that Jack could interchangeably manage to piss him off and arouse him at the same time.

Hiccup closed his locker once Jack reached him, blue eyes shining. "How was your weekend?"

"We're not doing that," Hiccup growled. "You lied to me. You can't expect me to just be 'okay' with everything and pretend we're cool."

Jack shrugged. "Fine. We need to talk about what to do now that you're a siphoner with witch powers."

Hiccup retorted, "what do you normally do with a siphoner that has witch powers?"

For once, Jack hesitated. He did not give a snarky, or sassy, reply. Instead, he remained silent, his face scrunched as if he had just encountered a real problem.

"Siphoners are rare. They tend to have no place in the witch and warlock world," said Jack. "Normally, they are the ones' who become hunters."

"I already knew I was going to help you find the witches and hunt down Pitch Black, if that's what you're implying." Hiccup said.

"Well," Jack gave Hiccup a harsh and almost degrading overall look. "You won't be helping me much if you don't know the basic rules of being a warlock. You need to learn about the magik-world. A lot."

Hiccup glared at him, "I know that. And I suppose you'll be teaching me?"

Jack smirked proudly, "you'll be learning from the best."

"I highly doubt that." Hiccup replied. "You're the only warlock, witch-hunter - whatever it is you are - I've met. That's not a fair comparison."

A flirtatious spark seemed to prowl back into Jack's blue-eyes. Slowly, he gave Hiccup a seductive smile. "Don't worry, you're in good hands. Virgin's are my specialty."

Hiccup set his jaw, in frustration and annoyance. He ignored the feeling of attraction from seeing Jack looking at him like that, saying those words. Instead he said, "When do we start?"

"Now." Jack purred.

^.^

They went back to that same abandoned building from Friday night, Jack had called it the witch grounds. Hiccup had opted to drive himself even after Jack insisted they go together.

He followed closely behind Jack's fancy Mercedes, careful not to be too close.

Once parked, Jack grabbed a duffel bag from his trunk and they walked around to the back. The same barrel was there, minus the fire.

"So why do we have to train here?" Hiccup asked, looking at the abandoned lot now a little more clearly in the day-time. To the far north side, there was an area that was fenced off (not that it stopped the local graffiti artists from tagging the building) and directly to their left was the border of the pavement lot, edged with ravine woods.

"Four hundred years ago the original witch from the area was born here," Jack repeated what he said the other night. "It holds a special kind of land-magik that is untraceable. It's perfect for practicing magik."

Jack and Hiccup stopped near the barrel. Jack gently put the duffel bag to the ground and knelt beside it, unzipping the bag to reveal cut logs of firewood.

He began taking out the wood. "Untraceable, as in Pitch can't find us?"

"Correct," Jack said. He started to put a few pieces of wood into the barrel. Then, Jack pulled out a small canister that he began to unscrew.

Jack stood up and poured the contents of the canister onto the wood. The smell of fuel burned at Hiccup's nostrils.

A smirk lit up Jack's features as he put out a box of matches and lit one. "I'd stand back."

He swiped the wick across the pack and a small flame burned to life. He tossed the lit match into the barrel and the fire exploded to life. Heat embraced Hiccup's features for only a moment before it was cooled by a frosty sensation. He knew it was Jacks' doing.

"How does all of the magik stuff work?" Hiccup asked, watching as Jack started feeding the smaller kindle to the fire. "Like sensing it, or finding places like this?"

"You don't need to worry about that. First," Jack said. "We need to hone your abilities. It's not enough to stumble your way through working with mana. You should be able to control it."

"Alright," Hiccup agreed. "So, controlling the body swapping -"

"Not with that ability." Jack interrupted, quickly. "With all due respect, body-swapping is relatively complex. It'll take time."

Hiccup gave him a puzzled look. "All I have to do is kiss someone, do I not? Seems pretty easy and useless to me."

Jack chuckled. "It's actually the most powerful mana-ability there is, besides the elementals."

Hiccup blinked, now he was confused. How was kissing someone and body-swapping considered useful?

Jack understood the look. He stopped feeding kindling to the fire. "Properly trained and deadly body-swappers can do the swap at a distance, with only maintaining eye contact."

What?

"T-that's impossible," Hiccup stammered. If that were true, and Astrid knew how to use her powers, it could be a huge advantage in practically any situation.

"Precisely why we need to train your mana-abilities." Jack said. "Now, lesson one: we'll focus on the more elemental magik's like air, fire, water, earth and, my personal favorite, ice."

As Jack said that, he blew out a little puff of air that condensed in front of Hiccup's eyes, turning into ice. It fell to the ground with a quiet 'snap'.

Hiccup watched as Jack took a few steps towards him, "we'll practice with the latter first"

Jack stepped closer and Hiccup stiffened. Hiccup was slightly taller than Jack, by at least five inches, and the latter had to look up. His gaze momentarily dropped to Hiccup's lips before they flickered back to Hiccup's eyes. Jack purred, "This is the part where you kiss me."

Hiccup forgot how to breathe because Jack was so close. He took an unsteady breath in and closed his eyes. Hiccup bent down, angling his head and felt Jack's cold lips press onto his.

The magik, as always, swept him up. He felt the ice run through his veins, down his throat to his toes. He pulled back, momentarily stunned by the eutrophic buzz of the magik filling him within, and the icy coldness that threatened to turn him to stone.

"Control it," Jack urged as he watched Hiccup struggle for breath. Hiccup closed his mouth, and bent down putting his hands on his knees for support. His insides were freezing from the power Jack leant him. He wasn't sure he could stop shivering, or stop the ever-numbing coldness that threatened his consciousness.

Hiccup thought he was going to pass out. In the distance, far away from these thoughts, he heard Jack talking to him. "You need to contain the mana. Imagine there's a box within you and use it as a vessel."

Breathlessly, Hiccup started panting. He tried to focus his thoughts on Jack's words - a box. A box. He closed his eyes and tried harder. There, in the back of his mind, he created a plain, wooden box with a simple flip lid.

Shakily, he said. "I see it."

He wasn't sure if that was what Jack had implied, but he imagined the box in his mind. It was sitting open.

"Visualize the mana and lock it in the box." Jack instructed.

Visualize the mana. Hiccup had recalled when Jack used his mana it was like a blue-firelight. Hiccup imagined the blue flame in front of the box. At first, the image resisted him and kept slipping from his mind. As if it were made of water, it would not hold the shape. Hiccup clenched his jaw and tried again. This time, he willed the image to life and it stayed.

When the box closed over the blue-flame Hiccup snapped his eyes open and gasped. The sensation of coldness throughout his body disappeared instantaneously. The shock of it being replaced with warmth was a surprise.

Hiccup, who was panting, blinked and slowly stood up to regain his composure.

Jack was smiling at him. "Now, comes the hard part."

"That wasn't the hard part!" Hiccup complained, still trying to catch his breath and slow his heartbeat, all while maintaining his concentration on that damned box inside his mind.

Jack moved, and stood on the other side of the fire. His eyes were ablaze with a new intensity that Hiccup was about to learn was not a good thing.

Jack instructed him with only four words: "Put out the fire."

^.^


End file.
